Alaska, Dear, Alaska
by Kita Kudai
Summary: Alaska has been sold to America because Russia could no longer take care of her, being almost too poor to even feed himself, let alone the small state. Granted, Alaska eventually starts questioning why she her 'father' gave her up. Alaska is an OC.
1. Prologue

**I was going through some old history notes when I found something about America buying Alaska from Russia… Since I've been reading some Hetalia manga at my friend's request somehow this was born…**

**So, I don't own Hetalia… Wish I did. It might help pay for college… But that's what scholarships and government grants are for, right?**

* * *

"Alaska, you are going to go live with America…"

"W-What do you mean?" She asked.

She cursed herself for the quiver in her voice, for the hurt in her chest and most of all for the tears in her eyes. She didn't want him to see her cry, especially if he was the one making her cry. She had never cried in front of him and for him to see her cry now was just too much of an insult to her. He didn't even have the heart to look at her as he was saying this. She was hurting because of him and he couldn't even look at her. Something in the back of her mind marked this as the act of a coward but she had never thought Ivan as a coward. He was one of the bravest, strongest nations she knew and she was proud to be with him. He didn't even have enough respect for her to look her in the eye as he ruined her world. She didn't even want to believe that he was taking an easy way out of taking care of her. She depended on him, despite the distance of the ocean that caused. Her people there were happy, despite the poor economy at the time.

Anger welled up inside her being as she glared at him. She wasn't going to let him simply walk away without an explanation as to why he was forcing her away, to America of all nations. She would have been okay if he sent her to Belarus or Ukraine. It would have been better to going to some strange nation, like America. Ivan couldn't just walk right in and out of her life as if it meant nothing, as if being together meant nothing. She swallowed hard, trying to keep the lump of emotion out of her throat. Her throat burned as she struggled to swallow the bitter emotions. She didn't want him to do such a cruel thing. She frowned and tried to rein in the overwhelming emotions she felt dancing around in her heart. It was almost too much to bear and she was very much close to tears as she looked at her guardian.

"You're going to go live with America," he repeated.

"I heard that… But what do you mean?" she demanded.

She wanted an explanation. She felt that she deserved an explanation. He should have realized that his actions not only affected him but her as well. They depended on one another. She gave him companionship. He protected her. She could hardly imagine doing something without him. He should have realized that by now and yet here he stood yanking the last firm anchor out from beneath her feet. She had her people but she outlived her people and her bosses. Her land was all she had left if Russia forced her away but if she really was being sent to live with America even her land wouldn't be hers anymore. Her land would then belong to America. All of her powers would be gone. She would have nothing of her own. Only her people would then start to answer to America and his rules and his laws. She swallowed.

"Dawn…"

"Tell me!" she screamed.

Her hands were gathered into fists. Angry tears were in her eyes. She couldn't believe he was using her 'human' name as freely as he was at that moment. She was glaring at him and she was shaking like a leaf. She was trying her best not to cry. Her eyes went red and puffy for her efforts. She shouldn't cry. It hurt him more then anything to see her cry. She looked like she was about to shed more tears and he fought the urge to pull her into his arms and comfort her as would have done before he tried to make her leave but he knew that he couldn't. He didn't think that she would appreciate it. It would have made things harder than they should have been. It would make it appear that he still had an emotional attachment to him.

It was tearing him apart to do this to her, though he showed no outward expression that would hint in that direction. He didn't want to let her go, just as she didn't want to let him go. He just wasn't able to explain this to her and he wanted to desperately explain but if he did she would only suffer more in the end. She was much too young to go and attempt to understand this. As much as it pained him to admit it, she was better off without him but he couldn't say he was better off without her. He was making a noble sacrifice that she would never know about, to spare her and save her suffering and he would continue to do so if it meant that she was safe and that she was well taken care of. She deserved the best and only the best. However, he wasn't the one who could provided that for her. As much as he hated to admit it, only America could provide for her the way she deserved to be taken care of.

"Listen, Dawn, even if… It's not… I'm just," he rambled.

She could only watch as he ran a hand through his hair. He looked like he longed to go to his liquor cabinet and drown himself in his favorite vodka, though he had been drinking a lot less as of late. And now that she noticed, his clothes weren't as well kept as they used to be. He was skinnier, as if he hadn't been eating well at all and it worried her. He still couldn't look at her. His heart began to throb in his chest and he knew that he would have to keep it moving a little faster or else his heart would burst from pain. Dawn wanted to die right then and there. He pitied her, even though he was the one hurting her. He always hurt others but that was only to protect himself and to protect Ukraine, Belarus and Dawn or even himself. He came off as intimidating but Alaska was accustomed to his rough nature.

"I'm not what you need at the moment…" He finally said, "I'm not good enough to take care of you."

"What? Not good enough? Don't give me that…"

She was trembling with rage. That was one of the most horrific lines that had ever come from his mouth. It was something used as a cushion for the fall. Instead, it only made her fall even worse. She felt like a part of her was dying on the inside to hear him say something like this. Yet there were times where she wanted to drown out everything around her and became a blank slate, incapable of feeling any emotional pain. A heart was a very heavy burden. Sometimes she didn't want to bear it. She was withdrawing so deeply into herself that everything melted away and it felt as if there were no other people in the world. She had been lost in thought but about what was a mystery that no one had solved yet. It seemed that no one intended to find out. She was on her own, drowning in the oceans of her misery. She swallowed hard.

The tears were almost too painful to keep back and each breath brought pain to her chest like an iron compress on her lungs. Breathing was becoming hard. She felt like she was going to start hyperventilating at any moment. It hurt to know that everything she held dear, everything she thought was the truth was nothing but a lie. To know that Ivan was just tossing her away, just like that, hurt her beyond anything he had ever said or done before. She wanted to sob but she held her breath so that she didn't. She didn't need to worry about dying. Her land was safe for the moment so she didn't have to worry about dying. Holding her breath wasn't going to kill her. It normally took a lot to kill a nation, despite the fact that she wasn't a nation, more or less a branch off of a nation. She could die easier than a nation could.

"Don't tell me, 'it's not you, it's me'. That's a lie! It's me, isn't it?" she demanded, "I'm causing problems for you, aren't I?"

When he didn't answer she knew she had hit the answer on the spot. It was her. He was breaking up with her because of something she did or said, but she knew of nothing that she had done that would have brought this sort of behavior on. She would have done anything to get him to just laugh and say it was just a joke – a cruel heartless joke. She would have been okay if he did. She would have been able to recover but now she wasn't so sure. She would have been angry with him. She would have not spoken to him for a few days, while Ukraine coaxed her into talking to her and Belarus coaxed Ivan into talking to her. But that wasn't going to happen. The look in Ivan's eyes told her that it was true. She was the root of the problem and she didn't know what she had done to be a burden. But she would do anything to take it back.

"So it is…" she murmured in defeat.

She nearly fell to the ground. Her knees felt weak beneath her. She could see Ivan reaching out towards her but he withdrew his hand as she looked up at her. He looked like he wanted to comfort her but he didn't do anything to even touch her. She realized that he was really making her leave. She shook her head, wanting to believe anything but that. He was really forcing her away after everything they had been through, a part of her withered at the thought. She wanted to crawl into a hole and die, though it would have taken her much longer to die than a normal person would have, something she was envious of humans for. She looked down, unable to keep her head up. She couldn't meet his eyes because those painful violet eyes looked as tortured as she felt. She bit her lip. She could probably bite through her lip if she put enough effort into it. She bowed her head, unable to look at him for much longer than she already had.

"Нет!" he snarled, "Not you. It is me. Because if you do what I think you might… it'd be painful to drag you…"

"You're lying…"

She now looked back up at him defiantly. She stared at him, expecting him to argue with her but he didn't say a word. He didn't even try to fight back against her words and accusations. She had hit the problem on the head with the hammer. She was the problem. Dawn hurt so much inside that it probably would have hurt less if he had decided to take a knife to her heart and cut it out. His actions then crushed the still bleeding heart in his palm. He didn't seem to know how much of an affect that he had on her. She didn't want to feel bitter but she still felt that way. Or he could have taken that pipe of his to her again and again. But physical pain and emotional pains were completely different from one another. But at least with physical pain it would heal. It would go away within time but emotional pain lasted a long time.

"Its better - for the both of us," he insisted.

She recalled from childhood that Ukraine used to refer to crying as being soul sick when they didn't really know better because they were young and naïve teenage, or at least teenage for nations, girls. Ukraine said it was the sadness that was attacking the heart and making it weep and ache with pain that they hated. Dawn laughed bitterly as she stood there because she really didn't know what else to do. She was not only soul sick, but she was confused and sad and angry all at once in such a whirlwind of despairing fury that she thought she'd spontaneously combust. She wouldn't have minded, at least then she'd be free from the massing swirl of emotions that were eating away at her. She didn't want to go. Russia was like her dad in a way or as close to a father as nations could get to a non-nation like her.

It wasn't fair for her. The fact that life just wasn't fair was an overused and highly battered cliché… but she thought it fit her own life rather nicely. If anything, she had gotten the short end of the stick. _'What stick?'_ she wondered, _'Who cares about a bloody stick?'_ That stick should just burst into flames or something. It was like the gods, if there even were any, had selected randomly, and just decided to pick on her. Why her? Of all the other people in the world, why her? Alaska could not hear the crackling of the fire in the fireplace or feel the warmth of the room. She could not even hear the sound of her own breathing. Was she still breathing? She couldn't tell anymore but she knew she felt a compression over her heart. But otherwise, she felt numb. There had to be some sort of mistake. Russia was lying to her. He had to have been.

"But I don't want to leave! I want to stay here with you, and Ukraine and Belarus!"

She hated how her voice that suggested she was either going to suddenly burst out laughing hysterically or to start crying. What made it worse was that she wasn't sure which she was going to do. She felt desperately like doing both but she knew that would only make it look like she was having an emotional breakdown. She was proud that not a single tear had fallen her cheeks from her already watery eyes. She was proud that she had not broken down into tears and uncontrollable sobs. But it still hurt. She loved Ivan very much. She couldn't believe he was doing this to her. She put a small hand on Ivan's forearm, surprising the older man greatly but when he met her eyes he looked away, ashamed.

"No tears, little one…" Ivan said, "America will take good care of you…"

She looked up to see a man walking over to them. Her mind tries to come up with a rational explanation for what she's seeing, but as soon as the person in front of him turns around and she's met with ice blue eyes the young girl lost all train of conscious thought. The man was blond. He had glasses and Dawn had to admit the glasses made him look older, save for the fact he also wore a tan uniform and a brown bomber jacket. His pants were over the outside of his boots, versus tucked inside his boots like she had see other nations wear them. It was very strange. He was very strange. And because of how odd he was, she didn't want to go home with him. She didn't want anything to do with him. Just being near Alfred made her want to cling to Ivan, even more and beg him not to do this to her.

"Come on, I'm not such a bad guy!" Alfred told her, "I'm a hero, after all!"

Alfred reached up to touch her face, to catch a tear that might stray from her eyes. Immediately, she stepped away from him, unable to bear it if he stood too close. He let his hands drop. Alfred could see the fire burning in her eyes. The distain and the anger were hard to hide in her burning, smoldering gaze. He was reminded of Ivan and for a moment as he gazed at her he could almost see Ivan standing behind her, yelling those words as well, moving and gesturing as she did, mirroring the little girl. He could see the similarities the two shared but they were two different people. Alfred was guilty. She cursed herself, for the hurt in her chest and most of all for the tears in her eyes. She felt she had the right to be sad, after all, she couldn't be entirely happy all the time and when she was rejected once again it was just one time too many for her heart to bear.

"Da, things are better with America."

She shook her head vehemently. It hurt her. Ivan's smile was wide, like he had just proved to everyone that some great theory of his was true and nobody should say anything different, like she couldn't say anything different. She felt like she didn't have a friend in the world. No one she knew would understand. She couldn't let anyone understand. This hurt was hers and hers alone to bear. She had been the one they could go to with their problems, Ukraine and Belarus that was, because the women sometimes didn't think things through but the younger non-nation had to look before she could leap because she was smaller. She couldn't defend herself should she be attacked. If anything she would have to hope the Soviet Union would help her if they saw that to be the case. But if they saw her weak and crying they wouldn't feel like they could talk to her since they would be afraid that their problems would be too much for her.

"Besides, this won't be forever…" Ivan added.

She looked up to Ivan, opening her mouth to say something but he had already started to walk away. And Dawn couldn't help but feel her own heart break as Ivan left her to go back to their old home. Perhaps it was true that hearts never could break evenly. She started to run after the man but Alfred had already grabbed her around the waist, holding her back and keeping her from running after the nation she viewed as family. For a few moments, Alaska was at a loss as to what to do. There was a disgusting, stinging feeling in the back of her throat, and it felt like she was going to throw up. Ivan, the only person who had understood her, the only person who had loved her like a father should, was now gone. The moment her knees hit the cold, icy floor she feels a hand on her shoulder. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She couldn't look at Alfred. She was too ashamed to do so. Her heart felt like it was going to explode. To Dawn, it seemed all there was left to do was fall to her knees…

…And cry.

"I hate this!" she screamed.

Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her in what was supposed to be a loving and caring gesture but it felt like anything but because she was in the arms of a stranger, someone who was not and someone she would never consider as her family, so she swore at that moment. She tensed at first but then realized it was Alfred hugging her. She eased up and gently touched his forearm, for a moment she considered pushing him away but her heart couldn't bear the pain she felt so she gripped his arm tighter, trying to reassure herself that he was really there. Tears were running down her cheeks and onto his skin. Alfred didn't mind. It was better than having her bottle all of those tears up. Besides, she put up with him and all of his personal baggage and struggles so it felt like he was returning the favor.

He said nothing as she cried her heart out, getting rid of her pain, her sorrow, her utter heartbreak. She sobbed freely and loudly despite the efforts she made to rein it in. He smiled tenderly, knowing that he had gone through the same thing when he left England. Sure, he had been elated to learn he had his freedom but a small part of him still missed the guidance and the relationship that he had with his former guardian. It wasn't the same anymore. Her shoulders slumped. She brought clenched fists to her face to wipe away her tears. Soon her hands couldn't wipe fast enough to hide the tears. He leaned down to gently nudge her bangs away with his fingers, his nails skimming the skin of her forehead and temple.

She was biting her lip to keep back the sorrowful sob that threatened to break past her lips. Alaska clutched her chest and winced as she felt her heart pounding erratically. Her whole body shuddered, and she choked on air, sputtering as she tried to gasp for more air, which only led to more choking. She couldn't speak. She couldn't seem to draw breath no matter how hard she tried to form words as she heaved deep shuddering sobs. Tears just rolled down her cheeks, littering the ground with diamond-like droplets. Her vision faded. The only thing she could see was the battle, clouded through her tears. Alfred clicked his tongue disapprovingly, bending further to brush his fingers along the curve of her ear.

"Alaska!"

Alaska tried to rid herself of the shuddering gasps. She lifted her head to see Alfred's distorted face through her tears. She could hear a ripping sound and wondered where it was coming from. When she noticed him staring at her she realized the sound was coming from her. Alfred held her shoulders securely. His gaze was set charily on her. He was rubbing her back gently to help her calm down. She took a deep breath, trying to relax. She sniffed loudly. Alfred pulled a handkerchief and she blew her nose, rather loudly and in any other situation she might have been embarrassed but at that moment she didn't care. She was hurting too much to care about things that she might have cared about at one point. He was acting as if he were coaxing a wild animal out of hiding. Dawn felt a wave of disgust roll over her, not at Alfred but at her. She couldn't believe she was letting this bother her as much as she was because she knew that nothing lasted forever. She should have seen this coming.

"Breathe, Alaska," Alfred ordered firmly.

But Dawn wasn't like him. Her throat stirred. _'He is happy. Happiness? That's right, but where is my happiness? Why don't I feel any? Something is wrong…'_ she realized. She felt her throat tighten, and she couldn't breathe. Why? Her eyes started to water again. But why? She couldn't understand what her emotions were making her feel. She felt like she was about to cry out in pain once more. Sometimes you had to know when to let go, when to turn around, and when to recognize those you don't want to leave behind, and know the right thing to do but Ivan was choosing wrong. She hadn't done anything for him to abandon her like this. Dawn knew this but why did his leaving hurt so much? She couldn't help feeling like a precious piece of her life was slipping through her fingers for good. The blond smiles softly and kindly at her. Dawn opens her mouth to speak, but closes it again after a few seconds and slowly nods.

"If," Alfred said, "It's a strange word. Key to every locked door I've ever encountered."

Dawn cocked her head to the side, wondering how such a goofy guy could spit out a philosophical idea when she needed it most. She was now shaking as she looked at Alfred. He could tell that her self restraint was waning and that she longed to punch him as hard as she could muster. She stepped back away from him so she didn't do that, regaining some sort of self control. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep herself from crying once more. She had shed enough tears in the past few days to last her a lifetime. She didn't understand quite what he meant by that but she had a fairly decent idea at what he was trying to tell her. Her hypothesis was that every decision she ever made always ended in if. 'If she had done this instead of doing something else…' or 'if she had done that to stop something else from happening…' What would have happened if she…

If…

It truly was a truly dangerous word.

* * *

**Wow… This is kind of sad… Well, this is a three-shot so I might have an ending where Alaska/Dawn goes back and meets Russia/Ivan as a reunion. But this is up to you. Should it be a happy ending where she accepts the fact that she is a part of Alfred's nation but gets to see her 'fatherly' figure or a sad ending with America/Alfred comforting her? **

**And before you go and say that Alfred's too goofy to go and say something like what he did at the end, you're probably right but I feel that sometimes even the goofiest of people can say something really intelligent. So I gave Alfred one of those moments. **

**Нет – Russian for no. **

**Da – Russian for yes.**


	2. I: Years Later

**Okay, now that summer is here I can work a little harder and get more out! Especially since my biggest story is out of the way. **

* * *

Alaska had begged and pleaded not to go. She promised to be a good girl and stay out of his way. But he just kept saying, 'It's better off this way'. When she grew up she realized that Ivan didn't have the money to take care of her. He didn't even have money to take care of himself. It helped a little, knowing that he didn't really want her gone from his life forever, but it hurt to think of what it must have been like to have been in his place and to choose to let go of her when he really wanted to keep holding on. He let her go for her own good, even though it wasn't what he wanted. He was even more heroic that America claimed to be, or at least that's what she yelled whenever she and America started fighting, particularly over things like drilling in her land, which would destroy the natural habitats of millions of animals on her land. Ivan was her hero. But even though Ivan was her hero, she hadn't gotten to see him since the day America took her away.

She had done so many things since then. She led the gold and oil expeditions in her land but only to make sure that nothing was hurt environmentally. Plus, she needed to keep her mind off of things. She kept herself busy, but she realized it was only because she didn't want to think about what she was missing while she was away from Ivan. America was a good man, even if a little annoying and a tad ostentatious about things concerning his states. Her brothers and sisters were good to her, particularly her sister Hawaii and her brother Washington. All the same, she missed being around Russia. Relations with the nation had only improved since the twenty first century. She didn't see why she couldn't go and visit. After all, even though she missed Ivan she wouldn't leave her siblings.

So Dawn found herself outside of America's office door. For a few minutes, she debated just leaving and taking the next plane back home but she had already come so far. She just couldn't turn back now or else she would never gather the courage to ask ever again. She really didn't even need to ask for permission but she was trying to be respectful of Alfred. He had taken her in, after all, when he didn't have to and he had kept her when she was being a spoiled little brat, fighting his every move because she didn't like him. He had only laughed it off and said it reminded him of when he was told that Matthew was going to be his brother. Matthew didn't like Arthur too much when he first met his new adoptive father. She knocked nervously. She wondered how America would take her news. Then she shook her head. Loyal to him or not, she had the right to go and visit Russia. Though it had taken her over a hundred or so years to garner the courage to do so, it was better late than never.

"Come in!"

She entered the office. The moment she stepped in, she knew the office was, in fact, America's. There were burger wrappers everywhere. She did her best not to wrinkle her nose in disgust. She wasn't like New York or Texas. She ate burgers from time to time but it wasn't one of her preferred favorites. There was a pyramid of milkshake containers on one of the spare tables. Apparently, her 'father' had gotten bored again. Alfred was at his desk, hidden behind some paperwork he had neglected to do for as long as he could put it off. Alfred smiled at her as he bit into a burger. She grimaced at the sight of the food in his mouth. Why for the love of all that was good, couldn't he chew with his mouth closed? She hated seeing the chewed food. ABC food, or Already Been Chewed food, as Maine put it was gross no matter how you looked at it.

"Yo, Alaska, what can I do you for?" Alfred asked.

"America, I just came to inform you that I am going to go visit Ivan."

Alfred blinked. He set his burger down, knowing that this was indeed a serious matter and this was not the time for him to joke and laugh it off like he had in the past, when she was still just a struggling state, trying to learn how to fit in with her older brothers and sisters. He swallowed his mouthful of food thickly. Dawn could see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. There was a rather startling serious expression on his face as he looked at her. Now, he was no longer Alfred F. Jones. He was the United States of America. He was not her father and he would lay down law should he deem fit but she really hoped that he wouldn't force her into anything she didn't want to do but he had done it before, with her and her brothers and sisters but sometimes it was for their own good. He was the supreme law that she had to follow. If he said no then she couldn't go because his word was law.

"Are you sure about this?" Alfred asked, "I mean, he's a communist…"

"Not anymore, America."

Alfred flinched. Despite all the time he had spent with her when she became on of his States, he never could get her to call him by his human name. He had done everything, saving begging on his hands and knees but his pride refused to allow him to do that. And yet she was so quick to call Russia by his human name. She even called Canada by his true name, affectionately dubbing him as Uncle Matt. And as much as Alfred hated to admit it, she remembered Canada more than he did. Granted, she was closer to Mattie than she was to Alfred but she was still his State. People sometimes said that she should have been one of Canada's children. Sometimes he wondered if that would have been better for her but there were other times when he was glad she was his State. She was such a good little girl throughout the years.

"But-"

"I'm going to see him. It's just a visit…" Alaska informed him, "I'll be back next week."

America frowned. He got to his feet. He walked around his desk and over to her. He reached out, putting two firm hands on either shoulder, just holding her affectionately. His State looked up. Her black locks brushed behind her ear with a motion as unconscious as a smile for him. Bright blue eyes looked at him intently. Her eyes had changed. He could have sworn they were purple when she was younger but that was when she was little. Of course she had changed. She was wearing a chocolate brown shirt with sleeves that cut off a little past her elbows and tan pants that cut off at her mid-shin level. There was a cream colored scarf wrapped around her neck and she was also wearing a chocolate brown beret around her head. Her sea foam teardrop necklace was still around her neck. She tilted her head to the side, when she noticed he was staring at her.

"Alaska, you are very independent…" Alfred murmured, "You always have been…"

He laughed weakly to himself, as if remembering the punch line of a joke that only he knew.

"Well, I just… I dun wanna see ya get hurt…"

Alaska noted that he had slipped into his Texas accent, a habit of his. She smiled half-heartedly as she recalled her southern brother. Alfred was jolted by the innocent action. He really couldn't help changing his manner of speaking when he was talking to people. He had so many children and his voice reflected each of them. While she always saw him as the dark and evil step-dad who stole her away from Russia, he still cared for her, along with her forty-nine brothers and sisters. Out of all of the kids he looked over, Alaska surprised him the most. No one expected to find gold and oil in her land, but there she was, a small, seemingly nine-year old, leading up the expedition as people flocked to her lands almost eagerly. Now she looked to be about sixteen but she was still that nine year old he brought home.

"Don't worry about me, Alfred…"

Alfred blinked in surprise. Then he grinned widely. No one, not even England, could ruin that moment for him. He could have sung for joy, other than the fact that he could not sing to save his life, despite the fact that many of his States he represented were known for their songs. She pulled away from Alfred but opened her arms wide. He smiled gently. Then he wrapped her in a tight hug, practically crushing her into his chest. Maybe, just maybe things could start changing for the better for the both of them now. She felt safe and warm. Alfred's hugs were different from Ivan's hugs. Ivan's hugs were nearly bone crushing. Alfred's were tight but his were gentler than Ivan's were, and maybe even kinder?

* * *

Dawn stepped off the plane. She shifted anxiously. Her Russian classes were going to be put to the test if she was going to find out where she could find Ivan. She went to baggage claim, sighing in relief when she had no problem reading the signs, directing her the entire way to the car rental place. She had been afraid that she wouldn't have been able to read anything. She would look like some American tourist that got lost far too easily. After she got her bags, she rented a car, with little to no hassle, only getting the bills that she needed out of her pockets, to prove she had already rented ahead of time. She only had problems getting out of the airport, after converting her currency to Ivan's. Then she was off.

Alfred had personally given her Ivan's address and because of her handy-dandy GPS, she was able to take the quickest route. Regardless of whether or not she was prepared, she still felt like an adopted child, going out and seeking out why their true parents left. She loved Alfred and all of her brother and sisters, but she had to know the full extent as to why he gave her up. She alone had everything that could have helped him. She had gold and oil, enough to provide for him and his people. Why didn't he just ask her? She knew about them all along. All he had to do was say that he needed some help and she would have given it to him, however, if she had stayed with Russia, she wouldn't have had all of her brothers and sisters, or a kind father or an even kinder uncle. When one door closed, she was lucky to have a second open for her.

She hadn't even realized that she was driving already until she pulled up to the gates in front of Russia's home. She rolled down her window. A guard walked over to her. He was an intimidating man, like Russia was but she had seen bigger, scarier men in her life. She smiled at him sweetly though he did not return the gesture. She hadn't expected him to smile at her the way she had at him. Russians were still very serious about protecting their nation. Ivan was strong enough to defend himself but it was still the idea of their entire livelihood being threatened if that one man fell into peril so the secret service protected Russia like no tomorrow. The Americans were blissfully unaware of their nations. America had a few guards but those were more or less like babysitters than actual guards. They were just there to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

"Я здесь, чтобы посмотреть Иван," she told him. *

"Кто вы?" *

She merely smiled at him. The gun at his side wasn't threatening at all. She was a State of avid gun lovers. She had one under her seat but she had a permit for carrying a concealed weapon. She was a State. She had some rights that the nations had. She did had diplomatic immunity in all things except murder. No one could get away with that apparently, not even someone like Germany. He was put under house arrest for the murders he committed under Hitler's orders during World War II. He got off after the wall came down. Then he took care of Prussia, who had been abused by Russia. That was one of the reasons why she was so afraid to go see Russia. He had changed since she had last seen him. She saw the news reports. She had even seen him on the news, under different alias' and during different time periods.

"Очень старый друг," she told him. *

The soldier grunted. She reached into her purse and pulled out her identification card. The man stiffened when he saw her picture and the paperwork in her hand. If she had wanted to, she could have taken his job, that's just how much power she had over him. But Dawn didn't want to. He was just doing his job to protect Russia, even if Russia didn't appreciate it, she did. She liked knowing that Russia was safe. It took a lot to get America to let her come without an escort but he eventually gave into her request. American soldiers and Russian soldiers still had some problems getting along sometimes. But she just supposed that was because America and Russia still weren't on the best of terms with one another either. They weren't friends but they weren't enemies either. America was more concerned with China, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan at the moment.

The guard motioned to one of the others behind him to signal that it was okay. She lowered the paperwork. The gates opened for her. She smiled at him, nodding her thanks before driving up to the house. Her nervousness returned in full force as soon as the gates closed behind her in an almost ominous way. The very way the gates creaked shut as they sealed in inside was boding ill for her. She shook her head. Russia would never hurt her. He was her original father. He took care of her. _'Then what do you call what America did for you? Childcare? Babysitting? Hardly, he raised you. Russia gave you up. He didn't want to keep you because you were too much of a bother…'_ a small voice in the back of her head taunted.

That was… True… Russia hadn't always been there for her. In fact, when he did have custody of her she was neglected for his other businesses in the European nations. She often spent nights alone, all by herself. She would hide under the table during thunderstorms. She would fight her own monsters in the closets. She read a book to herself before going to bed. They were simple things really, but she did them so it wasn't like she was alone. Alfred read stories to her when he adopted her. He fought all sorts of monsters in the closet away until she figured out there were no monsters to begin with. He even helped her overcome her fears of thunderstorms. And Uncle Matt doted on her when Alfred wasn't there. He took care of her like one of his, not as a nation but as a true uncle. Sure, she had trade routes with him but he still taught her things that America may have neglected or he just taught her things. She was just about as good as ice skating as he was.

Sure, her people took up hockey but she liked figure skating. She was really good at it. She normally had a good amount of ice to use, especially towards the North but that didn't daunt how good she really was at it. She could outskate most any man. She was fast, she was skilled, but she had years and years of practice that no human could ever even wish to have. She glanced to her left. Russia had a nice pond. She remembered going out to the pond once. Russia pulled her back inside before she got too far. He said he didn't want her to get hurt. Toris… Right? Well, Toris said it was because he didn't want her leaving and she had actually gotten so close to getting off his land apparently. She frowned. What if Toris had been right? Fear trilled through her heart. What if Russia tried to keep her there?

She rather liked her home with America, even if it had its problems sometimes she still felt very loved no matter what she did or what she said, even if she might disagree with everyone there at least once or twice she knew deep down that she was cared for no matter what. She loved her brothers. She loved her sisters. She loved her Uncle Matt and she loved her father, even if she hadn't said it as much to her father as she probably should have. She really wished that she hadn't come on her own. Even if Alfred were there she would have felt so much more comfortable. _'But I'm here now, and Alfred won't be here for me for everything…'_ she told herself. Nodding firmly, she turned the car off and got out. She placed the keys in her pocket. She would just go in and ask to talk to Russia. There wasn't anything too intimidating about that, right? Ivan would never hurt her, right?

Now she wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure of anything anymore. She licked her lips as she walked up to the door. This was different from America's office. At least in America's office she knew she could walk back out and be perfectly unharmed, now she was just afraid that Russia had changed so much that she couldn't recognize him anymore. Russia had stories that supported his newer more violent streak but he had always been violent when she was growing up, maybe noticeably for a young child like her but she had always known of his tendencies. She had defended his reactions once or twice. Dawn grimaced. She brought her tightened fist up and knocked on the door. No one responded. She knocked again. Alfred had given her his most recent address that Russia had lived in. She was uncertain if Russia had kept America updated on his latest home.

"O-Oh… W-Wh-What are you d-doing h-here?" a voice stammered.

Dawn blinked. The door had opened. A brunet was looking at her with fearful eyes. She vaguely remembered the nation, trembling in front of the door. It had been a long time. She might have baked cookies with him once, or was that Lativa? The memories of actually spending time with the Baltic Nations blurred together. They normally kept to themselves and as far away from Russia as they could get. Sometimes they used her as an excuse not to go near him because they were spending time with her. Russia only let them off the hook because he had wanted her to be happy or so it would seem. Maybe he did the right and honorable thing by letting her go? Maybe she was just stirring up dirt that did not need to be stirred up? She didn't know. But she knew that things weren't going to be the same after she met with Russia once again.

"Toris, it's good to see you!" she told him.

"A-Alaska… Dawn… Y-You must go before Russia sees you!" he whispered desperately.

Dawn flinched at how desperate he sounded. He really sounded terrified for her wellbeing. Her heart beat picked up its beat within her chest. Was it too late to go back and get America to actually come with her? She could go to a hotel for the night and wait for her foster father… But Alfred was miles away. He was celebrating with New York about their new Gay Marriage laws. California was not pleased so Washington and Oregon had taken him out drinking to forget. None of her other brothers and sisters knew she was there. Nor would they be willing to come with her, especially to Russia's of all places. Texas might have gone with her. He was fearless and brave, probably the most like Alfred, aside from New York and Florida. Florida was surprisingly optimistic considering she had so many hurricanes but she was tougher than anyone thought she could ever be.

"But I'm here to see Russia."

"Is that so?"

Toris and Dawn turned around. Russia stood behind the trembling nation. The poor brunet gave a terrified squeak. Russia's aura was positively frightening. Dawn could only stiffen out of pure fear and terror. Ivan had changed. She regretted coming almost instantly. She longed for her brothers and sisters to be with her. She would even deal with California's sulking and New York's boasting if it meant she wasn't there alone. She swallowed anxiously. Dawn wouldn't back down. She wouldn't be a pushover. She was an independent, strong State under the guidance of the United States of America, and she wouldn't submit to another, not even Russia, not even her former father.

"Why didn't you tell me Alaska was coming to visit?" Russia asked.

Dawn blinked. Toris looked positively faint, as if he were going to pass out at any second. She put a hand on the other nation's shoulder, not even looking at him as his terrified glance shifted to her almost immediately. With his height, Ivan easily towered over the small state and terrified nation. As he took a step closer, Toris's oxygen supply seemingly decreased, but Dawn didn't back away from the taller man. Michigan was just about as tall as Russia. Texas was just about as strong too. She knew that only frightened animals ran, weaklings ran. Alaska would not give Ivan the implication that she or any of the other States could be controlled. Only Alfred had supreme order over her or her family.

"He didn't know," Alaska said quickly, "No one in Europe knows that I'm here…"

Russia smiled creepily. It was a strange smile, one she had once seen on Sarah Palin during one of her speeches for presidency. And that smile only bode ill with her once the woman said that 'could see Alaska from her backyard' which was absolutely not true. That sort of saying made her want to strangle the woman when she said that because it was embarrassing for Dawn as a human and as a State. Obama supporters had refused to let her let it go for months. It was a sort of wide smile, like he'd just proved to everyone that some great theory of his was true and nobody should say anything different. Russia constantly pushed and pulled at her emotions like a stringed puppet, tightening the cords until Dawn would have snapped at the end of her wits. Right now she was nearing that end because Russia was just so different from the last time. Something bode ill in her stomach and she knew it meant no good for her.

"It is good to see you again, Dawn," Russia said.

Russia gathered her into his arms. Dawn was crushed into a strong chest, light hints of vodka assaulting her nose as the Russian gave her a hug. She blinked. When she was younger Russia smelled like Borscht, fire (because of all the fire places going in his home), snow, larch and fir trees. Ivan's muscles tensed, sliding around her thin neck in warning, like a massive snake ready to strangle its prey should it choose to do so. Another arm was around her waist. This was not the hug a father gave a daughter after not seeing her for so many years. This was wrong. This was uncomfortable. It was so much unlike the hug Alfred had given her earlier that morning. She tried to pull away but Russia kept her close, turning her so she was forced to face Lithuania. Toris looked absolutely terrified, maybe for her or maybe just for himself, Dawn didn't know but she could recognize that look in his face.

"Come, let us go to the study. Lithuania will bring us drinks! This calls for celebration, da?"

"E-Er… I was…"

Before she knew it she was already in Russia's study, unable to argue with him about what he was saying. The moment the door closed Russia smiled at her again, once again with that too wide smile and those too innocent eyes. She shivered slightly. She didn't like the fact that the door had been closed. She was uncomfortable. She tried to smile at him as convincingly as she could. Rumors were just rumors. Russia was still her good and kind father from all of those years ago. But she remembered her little sister Hawaii. Now that girl had suffered. Hawaii had once been one of Russia's and then France took over. England took over her after France burned her towns to the ground. She still had a scar to prove it. What made it worse was that war forced England to leave Hawaii alone. America stepped in when Hawaii was just about to give up on even living.

"You finally came back to me, my little one…" Russia said.

"J-Just as a visit…" Alaska stammered, "It has been so long. I missed you."

Russia just smiled at her that creepy, innocent smile of his. He let go of her and walked further into the room, glancing around at all the books, at the other décor, his desk, the large window on the opposite side, overlooking a dead garden. He motioned for her to take a chair by the fire. Slowly, she walked over to it, but she had yet to sit down. This had to have been one of the most awkward conversations she had ever had with someone. This ranked below the conversation she had with Massachusetts about gun control laws. She was lax while he was strict. They argued about it often but agreed on other things. Still, they had a tense relationship especially considering gun laws but they could still get along when they weren't talking about politics.

"You will be staying, da?"

"No," she said, "I am returning tonight."

Russia stepped closer to her. Dawn stepped back, recognizing a threat within his very eyes. She licked her lips, wondering if she wasn't quick enough to get to her car from there. She remembered vaguely the route on which he took her through but it really wasn't enough to get by, especially if the rumors about Russia were true. But he knew his home a little better than she did. She had just stepped into a very, very bad situation. She had no back up plans. She hadn't expected anything to go wrong. She hadn't expected Russia to be that different. She was no longer Russia's little girl anymore. She was just territory to him. He might have loved her once but this was now, this was when he was still sour with America for the Cold War and for all the other economic things that America was putting the rest of the world in with the way he borrowed money like it grew on trees.

* * *

"Dad…"

America didn't move. Was he really doing the right thing by letting Alaska off by herself? Sure, he was a touch over protective sometimes. Even England gave him more freedoms than he gave his little States but they were happy with giving him power over them so long as they had some control too. It was a system of checks and balances. He gave them the power to protect themselves, plus it saved everyone from having fifty plus nations running around in his part of the hemisphere, adding in Melvin's providences. It was Melvin, right? Or was it Martie? Alfred shrugged. It was no real consequence if he didn't recall at the moment who his northern neighbor was at the moment. He was far too worried about Alaska.

"Dad…"

He stared at his drink, one of his own personal favorites. Normally, the brew was all it took for him to get in the mood for some serious partying and this was a momentous moment in history for New York. He was supposed to be proud of his son and yet America felt nothing. This was a time of celebration. He should be happy. He sighed deeply. He considered going and finding New York, telling him that he wasn't feeling good and that he would come to celebrate with the boy later. He would understand after all and he had plenty of other States and humans to keep him company for the night, many who were also celebrating, just like him.

"Oi, you idiot, listen to me!"

America jerked out of his thoughts. New York stood over him. So much for going and finding the young State because apparently he had come looking for Alfred. The boy had changed out of his normally formal and pressed suit and glowered at his father. There was a large glass of beer in his right hand. The boy looked like he had been having a really good time until he had come across his father, not celebrating a big stepping stone for Gay Rights in his life. It was always so hard to please his States because he was supposed to be as unbiased as possible but there were just some things he did and did not agree with that his children did. He supposed it was the same for all parents. Humans lived with it and he supposed he could too, except his children never grew up and they had twenty times more power than any human teen would ever have or ever hope to have for that matter. He sighed again.

"Geeze, old man, ya've kinda been spacin' out on me for a while now…"

New York's Brooklyn accent was endearing, Alfred supposed because when he was wearing the suit the boy was straightforward with business and a firm accent that wasn't so much Brooklyn as it was practically just law. He occasionally slipped into it himself, but only when he had stayed with one of his young States for an extended period of time. It was just a natural thing, so that's why Alfred spent as much time as he could with different States. He had a house in each State just for that reason. But right before meetings he spent more time with Maryland because her accent was the one that annoyed the other nations the least and if he was to have anyone's accent it would have been hers because she could help him spout out as many legal terms that he needed before he went to the meetings.

"Sorry about that, Andrew…" Alfred said, "Just thinking…"

"'Bout what?" New York asked.

Alfred sighed. He had to tell New York what had happened. Alaska just had to go right now of all times, when New York was trying his best to show Alfred just how far he had come since he was just little colonies. The boy would understand why Alfred's head wasn't exactly on straight. New York worried about a lot of his family, some more than others because others could protect themselves, as New York had been proved by Texas and Colorado, two very tough boys. He worried over Alaska and Hawaii because of the economy and because of the ecosystem. With global warming his youngest sisters were often sick. He felt it was his fault because of all the smog his cities gave off and he was doing his best to change things but California was twenty leagues ahead of him. It was a sort of rivalry between the two States but Alfred appreciated the efforts of both, especially when trying to take care of the entire world.

"Alaska went to visit Russia… I'm worried about her…"

New York stiffened at the very mentioning of Russia since he hated the nation almost about as much as Alfred himself did, which was hard to believe but very much true. He set his drink down so he didn't drop it to the floor like he thought that he was going to. He was lucky he didn't shatter the glass either. He grabbed Alfred's shoulders and shook him almost violently. America might have been knocked to the floor by the force of the shakes had he been anyone else. Alfred was startled by Andrew's sudden change in personality. The boy had done a complete one hundred and eighty degree flip in his mood. But then again it was concerning one of his more worried about sisters. He always did keep his eye on Alaska once he found out she was once one of Russia's territories because he didn't want her to sink into depression or anything.

"What the hell are ya doin' here then?" Andrew demanded, "Dawnie's got her heads in the clouds if she think he won't hurt her!"

America blinked. Russia had changed, a little. He still had the Baltic States living with him, though his armies weren't in their lands anymore. They could leave whenever they wanted. And they did for the most part, but Lithuania, out of sympathy sometimes stayed over at Russia's because he didn't want the man to be alone. He did come over to spend time with America often too but he was his own nation now. He could do as he wanted too. That included the fact that he could spend time with Poland whenever he wanted to now. But New York was still worried and Alfred was worried too. Alaska was one of his last States, someone like his youngest in a way. He still worried about her, maybe more because she had been sick recently because of all of the poor economic policies going on about her land and the oil she had.

"Father, don't you remember when Louis went to visit Francis? Or when Toňya visited Antonio?"

It was such a definite answer, as if it were obvious or a pure fact that couldn't be questioned, especially since Andrew's accent had changed into one of his cleaner cut ones. When Louisiana visited Francis, it was a disaster, only saved because Arthur had been in town and managed to pull Louis off the nation without causing an international crisis between America and France. And when Toňya and visited Spain, she had come home cursing everything and everyone in Spanish that Alfred barely had time to process. He never did find out what happened over there and what had made her so mad. He didn't the same thing happening to Alaska. He put his drink down and got to his feet, grabbing his brown leather jacket. Andrew threw him a pair of car keys.

"My motorcycle is in the garage," New York explained, "Just get Dawn back."

* * *

**Я здесь, чтобы посмотреть Иван – I am here to see Ivan.**

**Кто вы? – Who are you?**

**Очень старый друг. – A very old friend.**


	3. II: Reunion

Alfred burst through the doors in Russia's manor. The guards had stopped him for a moment, checked his papers and he hit the gas. Dawn's rental car was sitting in the driveway but there was no sign of Dawn herself. America swallowed. She was supposed to be home two days ago. It had taken three days to convince his boss to let him go after her. Alfred was going to have words with the man later. Obama didn't realize that Alaska was as much of a child to Alfred as Sasha and Malia were to him. He had to protect his kids, even if it meant running off when there was lots of work to do. But there Alfred was, running as if his life depended on it. He had just jumped out of the car as soon as he parked, nearly ripping the key out of the ignition. So who cares if he might have to replace it later for nearly destroying it? Alaska was worth a little more than a car.

"Dawn!"

He kicked the door down. Toris, who had been on the stairs when he kicked it open, squeaked in surprise when he saw Alfred burst into the room. He nearly dropped the tea tray in his hands but America was quicker. He dashed to the other nation's side and caught it. Lithuania expected America to joke that he just rescued him from certain disaster, but America wasn't playing games at the moment. There was no amusement on his face as he looked up at the startled Lithuanian nation in front of him. The brunet flinched away from Alfred. He felt his mouth go dry, because he had seen that look before – that look of protective insanity. It was the same look that Russia got whenever someone made the mistake of mentioning the former Soviet Union and how much power it had originally had way back when.

"Toris, where is she?" America demanded.

"W-Who?"

"Alaska!" Alfred snapped, "Where is Alaska?"

Toris shivered at the dark tone in Alfred's voice. He hadn't heard that tone since the communism scare during the Cold War. It was a terrifying trip to the past and something that Lithuania did not want to repeat. Alfred was beyond paranoid back then. That look had returned to his eyes, making the other nation tremble. While Alfred had been a good friend throughout the years, he was hard to deal with when he was like that. Well, actually, that would be a lie. Alfred was hard to deal with at any point in his life. It took a tactical hand and a well practiced patience in order to deal with him that very few actually managed to achieve. One would think that England or someone who had known Alfred for a very long time would have been able to manage the man but it wasn't like that in the slightest. No one could manage Alfred except for his States – his children if you would.

"U-Upstairs… In h-her room… Third on the ri-right…"

Alfred nodded. He handed Toris the tea tray and ran off. He tore down the hallways, as if the devil himself were after him. He just had to get to Dawn no matter what. Russia was not to be trusted in the slightest. He feared for his State. In a way his States were his children, each a little part of him that was running around in the world, working in the government to help him. He nearly grinned as he recalled introducing England to all fifty States at once. His face had been priceless but other than that, Alfred kept his States to himself. Sure, Antonio was close with Florida and Francis helped Alfred keep a firm hand on Louisiana when he first adopted the State, but he tried to keep the other countries away from his States, hence the war with Mexico over Texas. Alfred still had scars from the Alamo that refused to heal. And he sure as hell wasn't going to forgive Mexico for killing Davy Crocket that day either. Actually, it was a sore subject for either nation since neither had let it go yet.

"Ru-Russia's with her!" Toris called.

That made Alfred's blood boil just to think of Russia being in Alaska's room with her. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. They were alone. Lithuania was downstairs and he knew that Lativa and Estonia were getting ready for the next World Meeting. He doubled his pace. Dawn should have known better than to have stayed alone with Russia. The commi might have tried to sway her to his side, brainwashed her or something as equally evil. Alfred growled at the very thought. His anger was pulsing with his heartbeat, swelling like some wave. However, the wave of his anger was not going to be held back by any floodgates humanly, or nationly, possible. If one hair was touched on Dawn's head, Alfred would tear Ivan limb-from-limb, peace keeping and possible wars be damned because no one hurts his States.

He burst into the room. Dawn and Russia jumped and they looked up in alarm, practically expecting someone to have come in with a gun but they looked in relief when they saw it was just America. The two had been simply sitting in two arm chairs by the fire. There had been cards in their hand. At first, Alfred assumed Russian Roulette but there wasn't a gun in sight. In fact, both looked surprised and highly disappointed that their game had been interrupted. But instead of letting it bother them the two just stared at Alfred, waiting for him to say something. However, Alfred's brain was mush. He just stood there, gaping like a fish. Dawn just turned to face Russia, placing her cards down on the table. She had a decent hand, maybe even one to beat Russia but Alfred had no idea what card game he just walked in on. But if he wasn't mistaken it was just a game of Go Fish. There wasn't anything dangerous about Go Fish.

"W-What?"

"He came for me," Dawn said, "I win the bet."

Russia smiled. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out some Rubles. Dawn took the money with a smile. She pocketed the money before getting out of her seat. She walked over to her father. Alfred felt weak at the knees. So much for his impressive entrance, scaring Russia, taking Dawn back and being on his merry way. In every single comic book, movie or story, the damsel was supposed to be in distress, the hero – that was him – rushes in, saves the day, defeats the villain and they all lived happily ever after, aside from the villain of course. No one cared what happened to the bad guy after he either went to jail or died for whatever cause he was fighting for, which was nine times out of ten wrong because the hero was the one in the right, because he was the hero! Heroes were never wrong. However, Alfred found himself in one of those outlier situations, the situation that didn't match the pattern of those that came before it. He was under prepared for this, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. He was a hero! Heroes never gave up!

"I… Don't understand," Alfred choked out.

Dawn laughed. She took Alfred's arm and led him towards the fire, towards Russia. Alfred tried to pull away but even as a State, Dawn had a nation's strength. She forced him to sit down in a chair, close to the fire but not too close to Russia. She may have liked both Alfred and Ivan but she knew they wouldn't get along just because of her, or put aside their differences because she asked them to. They would continue to harbor anxious relations between the two of them. For the most part, as nations they were rather neutral about one another now, however, as people they still disliked each other immensely. Dawn would be the first person to admit the hyper active Nation was missing a few screws, four or five crayons, and a whole lot of pancakes. And that wasn't even the beginning of it. She didn't even want to delve into Russia's issues. However, both seemed to realize that this meant a lot to her so they were tolerating one another. But she knew if she left the room they would be at each other's throats in a heartbeat.

"Dad, I didn't come home because there was a snow storm," Dawn said, "We were snowed in. Ivan let me stay here for the night."

"B-But… You could have called me!" Alfred shouted.

Dawn held up her cell phone. She wiggled it back and forth. Alfred caught sight of the IPhone he bought her for her last birthday. She had yet to get an upgrade, which in a way made him feel touched that she kept it, but also slightly offended because she hadn't upgraded to the next level up. Upgraded phones were important. Alfred himself had to have the newest of the new technology on the market. New York, Maryland and California were all the same. Maryland possessed them more or less because she had to have the newest gadgets for all the legal work she did in the capital and it was just easier for her to access all that information through the newer technology. Dawn just used what she had because she really didn't see the need to upgrade without a reason. She had no reason as of the moment. Her phone still worked and she really didn't want to grow accustomed to using a new phone. It was just one of her personal preferences. She knew it was a strange habit but she did that as a person, not a State.

"No signal."

Alfred felt all of the anger seeping out of him. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to feel at the moment. So instead, he shifted in his chair. He wasn't sure what to do with Russia in the room. Sure, he and Ivan pretended to get along in front of their bosses, but really the two hated one another. They were allowed to. They were partially human as well so there were nations who hated one another, despite the fact they had good political ties. Look at England and France, they were the best to say they had a good relationship politically, but the two absolutely hated one another with such a deep and utter passion. But there really wasn't anything to do aside from let things run their course. So America sat back, though tensely. He was ready to reach for the handgun in the breast pocket of his coat at any time. And he was sure Russia had that damned pipe of his somewhere around the room. After all, the man never left without that pipe.

"Relax, comrade, I made sure that my pilots were going to give her a direct flight home, da," Russia informed America.

"But that's not until after lunch," Dawn reminded the other nation.

Ivan nodded. Alfred grimaced. He would really rather not stay for lunch but the look in Dawn's eyes made it impossible for him to say no to her. She just looked so happy, so pleased that things were 'going well' that Alfred couldn't say no. The things he did for his States, honestly. Now he knew how Arthur felt when Alfred was a kid. Granted, Arthur really only had a few kids to look after at a time, Alfred had fifty plus all of the territories that he managed. Being a superpower was hard work, but America fit the job perfectly because he was a hero, after all. But even now, he was still apprehensive about staying for lunch in the home of someone he had a war with. Well, actually, it was just because it was Russia and because of their history together. Sure, bygones were bygones but some of the things they did just couldn't be swept under the rug and forgotten about. Just like how Matthew could never forgive Alfred for forgetting him all the time.

"I… I just…"

Dawn smiled. It was like Alfred's brain had imploded in his head. She could practically see steam fizzling out of his red ears. All logical thought left the man, but really there wasn't much to begin with sometimes. As scatterbrained as Alfred was, she wouldn't change him for the world. He was a good parent and a good friend, loyal, kind and daring. She was shier. In fact, she probably would have stayed to herself had not Alfred introduced her to Canada and his Providences. She was good friends with Canada's 'children' as well as her brother and sister States. However, her dad could act so childishly some times. She almost felt like she was the parent and he was the child. She knew that Maryland and Virginia sometimes felt the same way. But there were times where Alfred's wisdom was able to shine through. She just smiled at her father.

"Deal again?" Russia asked.

She nodded, gathering up all the cards on the table. Then she started to shuffle through them, making sure to mix them up properly so no one got a 'stacked' hand. America just sat slumped in the seat next to her. She smiled at the man, trying her best not to laugh at the completely drained expression on his face. She was glad that Alfred came for her. It meant that he cared. She and Russia had only made the bet to make the evening lively. And the snow did come in rather heavily, far too heavily for her to drive in because her rental wasn't suited for driving in snow. Russia offered to take her to the airport, but she didn't want him driving in the weather either. So she ended up staying the night. It was a nice thing for Russia to do for her. It just so happened, that Lithuania was also visiting Russia at the same time much to Dawn's delight. So he offered to make lunch before Alfred burst through the door. Dawn sighed. Alfred must have given Toris quite the shock. She just hoped that her dad didn't do anything rash to scare the nation. She rather liked Lithuania.

She started shelling out cards. Lithuania walked into the room, carrying lunch. He now had an extra plate and an extra cup. Dawn smiled. She added another hand, just for Toris to join along with them. It was nice to get to play cards with the people she cared about. She didn't get to spend a lot of time with Alfred anymore because he was just so busy. In fact, when he did come to her house it was to talk politically about drilling for oil on her land but she constantly refused because if he did that her land would be irreparable after he was done. It would damage her lands and it would damage her. She couldn't allow his actions to hurt her wildlife. It would only be a little bit of oil. She wasn't willing to kill the wildlife for just a few years of oil. She shook her head. If she started thinking of that she might just grow weepy or at least angry enough to start snapping at everyone. It really depended on how she felt that day. She was pretty sure she would cry today, but she didn't want to do that, not in front of her friends and family.

"You always do this. You do things without thinking," Dawn said.

"It's called winging it."

She sighed in exasperation. Toris, who had picked up his stack of cards, was hiding a smile behind it. He looked nervously over at Ivan, who was actually chuckling. Trust America to do something stupid and brush it off. But that was also some sort of the man's charm. The only reason he worked so hard was because he strove to make himself noticed by the other nations, even if it meant being absolutely obnoxious, sticking his nose where it didn't belong or even trying to fight in wars that were really none of his concern. Sure he threw his weight around a lot but he was he just wanted to be recognized. Dawn smiled at her dad. The man was truly something different. But she wouldn't change him. None of the States would, well, except for the spending habits his boss and his boss' co-workers tended to have but that was a joint problem. Alfred had no control over how the money was spent and all of the States could see how much it was really devastating him to see the economy suffer as much as it was. Ohio said that America came over one night, sobbing his heart out to her, apologizing over and over, saying he was such a bad person and an even worse parent. Tennessee offered to bring some moonshine over but Kentucky thought better of it since Alfred was almost as drunk as Arthur could get.

"One day, winging it is going to backfire on you," Dawn said.

"Well, that day hasn't arrived yet," Alfred replied.

* * *

Lunch was peaceful for the most part. Toris even joined them. They had some Russian dishes and small sandwiches that Toris had made at the very last second. Alfred didn't dare touch the Russian food. Ivan didn't dare touch the sandwiches. Alaska couldn't have been happier. Honestly, Alfred was just glad to see that smile on her face. Ivan seemed pretty cool with everything too. However, the sooner Alfred got out of there the better. Relations with Russia had been and always would be tense. But it was time to head out. Dawn stood at Alfred's side looking at Ivan. Toris smiled and she hugged him tightly, missing him greatly already. He always had been so kind to her when she was just a little territory. She missed him and the other Baltics but she wasn't alone anymore. In fact, her visit had brought a smile to her face and a skip to her step. She felt so much better than she had in years. It was just because of one little visit.

"It was nice to see you," Dawn said.

"Da, you can come over whenever you like, Alaska," Ivan told her.

She smiled and stepped forward, hugging the large nation. Alfred shifted slightly. He didn't know how he felt about her hugging his arch rival but he didn't say anything because he honestly didn't want to hurt Alaska's feelings. When she pulled away, Dawn looked over at America. In her eyes he saw something and cringed. He knew he would have to play nice with Ivan because of that look. He shifted anxiously. He looked down, rubbing the back of his neck. He felt very much like a child being scolded by his mother if he didn't do something nice. He looked up at Ivan, feeling disgust rolling in his stomach. He shook his head. He was a hero. He had done much worse in his many years as a nation. Surely, he could suck it up for a minute and at least pretend to be nice for Alaska's sake. She had put up with him many times. But she had also used him many times, for example when one of her Senators used Congress to build a bridge to an island that only housed one family, but she actually had nothing to do with that because it was just one Senator.

"Er… Thanks for taking care of her," America said, offhandedly.

"Nyet," Russia disagreed, "Thank you, comrade…"

The two of them stood awkwardly for a moment. Then they shook hands, firmly, as if trying to break the other's hand. But then they instantly let go, not wanting to have to touch one another any longer than they had to. Then the two of them just stood there, awkwardly glaring at one another as darkly as they could. Dawn and Toris exchanged looks. Then Alaska laughed. She wrapped her arm around Alfred's shoulder. She wanted to get out of there before Alfred's tolerance level of Ivan skyrocketed and the United States would no longer take it. It would be highly unfortunate if America tried to declare war on Russia. It might even escalade to a WWIII. Alaska didn't want that on her head. The whole world would hate her if it ever came to that, especially some of the European countries. Everyone kept predicting Germany to start the third world war, but with the rate things were going the war on terror was going to escalade sooner or later. She swallowed nervously.

"We should be going… New York is going to pitch a fit that I wasn't there at his party last night," Dawn said.

Russia leaned forward and kissed Dawn on the forehead. She blinked in surprise. The older nation just smiled at her, kindly. The tenderness and kindness behind the action was surprising everyone who was standing near him. He wasn't exactly what the other nations would refer to as a 'gentle' giant, considering his history and how bloody it was in the past. The Romanov family was a fine example of that sort of behavior. The family was taken away from their homes and then shot. Because the young princesses had jewels sewn into their clothes – for the sake of having money should they ever have to flee from the country – they slowly started to bleed to death. But when their attackers saw the bullets bouncing off Bolsheviks stabbed them with the bayonets. When that did not work they shot each of the little girls in the head at point blank. Or at least that was one of the theories. People still hoped that little Anastasia had gotten away. The best imposter of the young princess was Anna Anderson. She contended that she had feigned death amongst the bodies of her family members and servants, and was able to make her escape with the help of a compassionate guard who rescued her from amongst the corpses after noticing that she was still alive.

But later, in 2008, a Russian scientist did a test on bodies found away from the rest of the royal family, proving that it was one of the Grand Duchesses. Anastasia was found at last. The bodies of her family had been found and it was assumed that Anastasia or her sister Maria had escaped. However, that was not true. August 23, 2007, a Russian archaeologist announced the discovery of two burned, partial skeletons at a bonfire site near Yekaterinburg. Anastasia's body was burned and charred with the body of Tsarevich Alexei, her brother. While the bodies of the Grand Duchesses could not be identified, it was assumed that the body with Alexei was Anastasia because it fit her build but it also could have fit Maria's, however, all the bodies managed to prove through DNA testing was that the entire Romanov family died that night. Alaska remembered how sad she had been when she knew how much that family meant to Russia. She had met the family once, only because America had business near Russia but Alaska was forbidden from seeing Russia. America never really did trust Alaska, except during the Civil War when England and France supported the South and Russia supported the North.

"Be good for Amerika, da?"

She smiled. Normally it was supposed to be the other way around. Everyone always told Alfred to be good to his States, England especially. But they did it with reason, because everyone knew how America was. England always was a pretty good guy, except for when he came to Alfred's birthday party completely wasted. One of the former colonies always had to take him back across the 'pond' and to his home. However, they did not complain. It was better than the one year when France tried to take him back home. The States still shivered whenever Alfred brought it up, even if he was joking about it. Alaska knew she would never be able to look at France the same way ever again. She most certainly did not want to be caught alone, drunk or high in his presence. But when he wasn't trying to molest people he was actually a very nice man. The States just had to catch him at the right time, or wait until Louisiana was around. France still had a huge soft spot for the nation, especially after Katrina when he couldn't walk around and had to either be carried around or wheeled around in a wheelchair.

"Naturally!"

"Da…" Ivan sighed, "You do not need to worry about taking the other rental car back. I will do it myself."

"Are you sure?" Alaska asked.

"Of course."

He pat her on the head. He held out his hands expectantly. She sighed and fished her rental car keys out of her pocket. Before she could protest the keys were gently eased out of her hands. She was pouting slightly. However, Ivan just chuckled, a rich and deep sound that made someone wonder his age. It could have passed for someone of barely twenty but it also could have passed for someone who was thirty. It surprised Alfred because all America had ever heard of laughter from Russia was his creepy childish giggle and the occasional 'kol' – though Alfred doubted the 'kol' was actually supposed to be laughter. But then again America never did understand Russia. He probably never would understand Russia. Toris smiled over at Alaska. She looked at him, slightly exasperated but still smiling at the way the two super nations were acting.

"Run along, little one…" Ivan ordered.

She turned and started to walk away. America started to move to but he heard Ivan sigh. The sound only caught Alfred's interest because it actually sounded almost depressed, broken, and dejected. He turned around, half expecting some stupid remark from the other nation but there was a look that made America looked at him in surprise. Ivan was watching her with a sort of saddened longing, like the parents Alfred had watched, taking their children to college for the first time, which Alfred had done for his States, at least once or twice each so they could learn more about the humans they were supposed to be representing, plus, what better way to learn about political sciences than through the colleges that they were also a part of. Dawn was none the wiser. Alfred nearly smiled. They said he couldn't read the atmosphere. He knew well enough to know that Russia was sad about letting Dawn go back to the States, even if that was where she belonged now, whether Russia wanted her back or not.

"She's all grown up now…" Ivan muttered.

"Yeah, they do that sometimes…" America said, "Trust me… I would know…"

Especially considering how many States he had. Watching the States grow older and older was tough for Alfred, even with the adopted ones he had like Hawaii, Alaska and Texas, just to name a few. Just thinking about Texas made Alfred shift his glasses. Ivan smiled, though it wasn't his creepy smile that normally made people scoot away from him. This one was creepy but in a different way, maybe because it was with the rarity of a real smile. Alfred just stared at him, waiting for Russia to say something because obviously the man had something on his mind or else he would have let America go without a word further. Alfred just wanted to get home. He was craving McDonalds like a pregnant woman craved peanut butter, pickles and ice cream. Then he shook his head. That was a really bad comparison. He wasn't pregnant.

"I do not regret letting you take her," Ivan said, "She is happier now… It was for the better."

America looked out to see Alaska standing by his rental car. She tilted her head to the side, looking like the perfect picture of winter, dressed warmly in a winter coat that Oregon had given her the year before. She also had a scarf and hat given to her by Washington for her birthday. Her little black boots were barely visible in the snow that had rolled in. She did think Alfred's car was larger than hers. It was an SUV after all and compared to her tiny little four door car, his was more likely to get through the snow and the ice easier. Alfred turned to her and clicked the lock on his key. The door unlocked and his State climbed into the car. Her cheeks were already turning pink because of the tinting cold that was reaching her. Snow was, after all, the only thing she really had left with Alaska anymore so she enjoyed spending time in it, however she knew when to go inside and when to go out.

"Yeah… You're right…" Alfred said, "But don't worry. I'll keep taking good care of her."

"You better…"

Ivan smiled tightly. He reached into his jacket, pulling something out, just to show Alfred he still had that lead pipe of his. Alfred wrinkled his nose. In his coat pocket he had a gun. It was pressing against his chest and he was tempted to bring it out to show he was also armed but Lithuania was there, so was Alaska. They could get hurt if Russia and America would start to fight, especially with as violently as Alfred and Ivan went after each other. That was a threat if he ever heard one. But then again a conversation with Russia without an insult was like a World Meeting where France didn't strip naked and Italy did not ask for pasta. It only happened once, because somehow Canada duck taped France's clothes to him, to which everyone wondered where he got the duck tape. Italy did not ask for pasta because it was in Italy's home and he had some brought to him during the meeting.

"Whatever… I'm out of here! I can't be caught with a commie like you!"

"Ah, yes, the hero cannot ruin his reputation."

"Fuck off you commie bastard!"

Russia yanked Lithuania inside the home almost violently. Lithuania, unfortunately or not, was used to this sort of behavior but since the fall of Soviet Russia he found that Russia wasn't as bad as he thought, so long as Lithuania did not spend large extended periods of time with Ivan. Ivan paused for a moment before giving Alfred a scathing look that practically screamed that Alfred better sleep with one eye open from now on. Alfred saw that look a lot during the Cold War. Honestly, what was he thinking with that war? He had just been so paranoid. The door was slammed shut as Alfred trailed down the steps. Alaska sat in the front seat of the car. But when she saw America lingering she got out, feeling concerned. She rushed over to him, leaving footprints in the snow behind her. Alfred just smiled and let her grip his forearms. The worried look on her face was enough to warm his heart and make him forget about the snow for a moment. Right now he was just Alfred and she was Dawn. There was no America for a moment and Alaska was the furthest thing from his mind. He was just a father with his little girl.

"What were you talking about, dad?" Alaska asked.

America smiled. He reached towards his State and wrapped her in his arms. Dawn stood there for a moment. Then she buried her face in Alfred's neck. She didn't know why Alfred was hugging her so tightly but she shrugged and let it go. Alfred was Alfred. She didn't really want to question it. Besides, he didn't hug people often, despite what everyone would think. Sure, America was affectionate, but his standard of personal space was actually completely different from that of someone like Spain or France. In Spain, scientists did a study concluding that people there on average received about three hugs a day. And then there was the way some nations greeted one another by kissing them on the cheek that America simply did not do. But for now, Dawn decided just relishing the hug was a good thing. It was a good thing her other siblings weren't there to ruin the moment like they did on past family reunions or her birthday.

"Just talking, sweetie, we were just talking…" Alfred whispered.

* * *

**OOC Russia is OOC! Ugh… I hate how this turned out… It just seemed that he would have one of those paternal moments… But then go back to being creeper Russia. **

**Okay, so I tried to mention as many States as could come up within the story and using facts that I knew were to be true. I didn't want to simply assume something. I normally would have tried to have squeezed all fifty in but honestly I didn't want to try to keep track of which ones I used and which ones I didn't, plus fifty states are a lot to do research on!**


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